BS12 Directive marine species

Status of Habitats Directive Species

EU Habitats Directive species' status has been reported in Finland twice, in 2007 and 2013. Five species listed in the Habitats Directive occur in the Finnish part of the Baltic Sea. These are primarily brackish water species. Two of them are vascular plants that can be found in shallow water habitats characteristic to land uplift coasts. The one beetle species, Macroplea pubipennis, also prefers shallow water in bays and inlets.

Grey and Baltic Ringed Seals, on the other hand, have large territories and often move from the waters of one country to those of another. Therefore their population can normally be estimated only by sea area, irrespective of national borders (see also BS9).

The conservation status of only one of the five species has been evaluated as favourable. The Finnish population of Grey Seal has more than trebled during the evaluation period.

The conservation status of four species ? Baltic ringed seal, Wahlenberg's water plaintain, four-leaved mare's tail and the beetle Macroplea pubipennis ? was evaluated as unfavourable-inadequate. In the case of the Ringed Seal, this is due to an unfavourable population development especially in the Gulf of Finland and Archipelago Sea. The habitats of Wahlenberg's Water Plaintain, four-leaved mare's tail and Macroplea pubipennis are in a poor state and therefore the species' future prospects were deemed unfavourable.